Plot: What’s it about?
The daughter of a billionaire has been murdered and when evidence points to a young rap artist, District Attorney Jack Campioni (Tom Berenger) is determined to attain a guilty verdict. It seems the young woman was killed in a sexual encounter, which became rough and soon, turned lethal. The accused is Bobby Medina (Wade Dominguez), a rap artist on his way up in this business, until this roadblock was thrown in his path. He claims to be innocent of the charges, but with so much evidence against him, in addition to his prior record, things don’t look good for Medina. Despite the evidence at hand and Medina’s past dealings with drugs & violence, his case is taken on by Kitt Devereaux (Melanie Griffith), who is known for getting guilty people off the hook. As the case move on, Devereaux has real problems and can’t seem to make herself believe in her client, let alone the judge and jury involved in the case. But she is determined to do her best, so he delves deep into the case and discovers more than she ever bargained for.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here, suspense/thrillers are a dime a dozen. The theaters used to be packed with slasher flicks or teen comedies, but the name of the game of late has been thrillers. Now I love a good suspense film, but you have to wade through steaming piles to find even the decent ones, let alone the really good ones. And so, with all the bad ones out there, I’m sometimes pleased just to find a decent one, which is what I found with Shadow of Doubt. I don’t think this one offers much in terms of new ground, but it has some good moments and nice twists, so I was more than entertained here. The cast is so-so, with such names as Melanie Griffith, Tom Berenger, and Huey Lewis, but I think the performances were good enough. The usual storyline is present, but with some good turns that keep things interesting, although the ending is less than impressive. I recommend this as a rental to fans of the genre, but don’t expect a classic here, just look to find a good way to spend a couple hours.
I know he has made some bad decisions in his career, but I still think Tom Berenger is an underrated performer. Now granted, I wouldn’t assign him to carry a film or pull off a miracle role, but Berenger is a solid player and often gets overlooked. He is able to take smaller characters and make them memorable, which is vital in ensemble pictures. In addition, he can also hold his own in most cases, although he has done some poor work in some instances. Even so, Berenger usually delivers the goods and because of that, I wanted to give him a little ink here. In this role, he isn’t given a lot to work with, but still turns in a nice overall performance. Other films with Berenger include Cutaway, Major League, The Substitute, Sniper, Platoon, Gettysburg, and A Murder of Crows. The cast here also includes Melanie Griffith (Cherry 2000, Cecil B. DeMented), Craig Sheffer (Deep Core, The Program), Wade Dominguez (Dangerous Minds, City of Industry), Nina Foch (Sliver, Skin Deep), and rock ‘n’ roller Huey Lewis (Back to the Future).
Video: How does it look?
Shadow of Doubt is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I don’t think this is a bad transfer at all, but there seems to be a fine layer of grain at all times, which becomes heavier in the darker scenes. This is not a welcome issue, but it never distracts much in the end, so I won’t knock the score much. The colors seem to surface in bright form here and aside from the darker scenes, the contrast is well balanced also. I wish the grain was lessened, but even as it stands, this is a more than decent visual presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is about the standard thriller mix, which means some surround use at times, but on the whole, a rather conservative option. Now the track does step up when it needs to, so the atmosphere is handled, but since this is dialogue heavy, the front channels handle most of the burden here. But the surrounds are used well at the right times and in a natural fashion, so it all never seems hollow or pale in the least. The music is also well presented, as is the dialogue, which comes through in rich and crisp form. No real complaints here, as the track more than handles the material at hand, which is what counts. This disc also contains 2.0 surround tracks in English and French, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes some talent files, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
